


Festival

by inabodycastofglass



Series: Old works [8]
Category: Tales of the Abyss
Genre: F/M, Post Game
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-17
Updated: 2016-07-17
Packaged: 2018-07-24 14:55:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,262
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7512536
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/inabodycastofglass/pseuds/inabodycastofglass
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Lovers Festival had always been Natalia's favourite. Not this year.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Festival

It was the lovers festival. A week of romance. The time of year where everyone in Kimlasca and Malkuth celebrated the Lovers of Legend. Flowers were exchanged and there was dancing and song and poetry in the center of the city. Grand shows were made to impress or attract a lover, and confessions ran rampant. Something about the air made people throw away all doubt and reason for their lovers. It was Natalia’s favourite holiday, the most romantic time of the year. And everyone that knew her knew Natalia was a romantic.

But this year she hated it. She hated looking at all of the men giving women bouquets they wouldn’t usually bother with, and all of the girls flirting hopelessly with a boy who wouldn’t pay attention to her any other day. Everything suddenly seemed petty to her. After this week none of them would ever speak to each other again.

"Princess?“ She jumped up, turning around. Guy was standing behind her, a bouquet of roses in his hand. The highest form of flattery for this ridiculous festival. She wondered which girl had managed to catch his fancy. She bit her lip to avoid being sarcastic. "What are you doing all the way up here? Why aren’t you down there, enjoying the first day of the festival? You spend all year looking forward to this.”

She turned back around and rested her hands on the gate. She looked down at the festivities below and sighed. “Not today. I simply cannot feel any love today.” Not just today. It had been months since she was able to feel affection for anything. Not since she realized Asch wasn’t coming back. “As a public official I must attend certain activities, but otherwise I would rather avoid the entire thing.”

"That’s too bad. I’m sure there are a ton of guys just waiting to woo the now single princess.“ He stood beside her, giving them just enough space so they wouldn’t accidentally touch. "But I take it that’s exactly what you’re trying to avoid.”

She turned away from him, gripping the gate. “Don’t you have somewhere to be?”

He didn’t answer. Instead he just leaned on the bar next to her next to her until his presence became suffocating. She felt the urge to run away, but couldn’t bring herself to be so rude. She squeezed the bar until her hands started to go numb and bit her lip until it felt raw. The air from her lungs bubbled like tar popping into helium and out of her mouth. “What!”

He parried her glare with a smile. Slowly he stood up straight, his body moving like water, flowing from his hips to his chest. He let his arm flow up, the roses resting slightly below her nose, making her senses tingle.

"Guy?“ She looked to him. He was still smiling, though the pink of his ears was vibrant against his hair. He shook the bouquet slightly until she took it, looking directly at him. "Guy?”

He looked away, rubbing the back of his neck, pressing hard. “You look sad. The lovers festival isn’t for broken hearts, it’s for blossoming love.” He let his hand drop and slip into his pocket. “You shouldn’t be sad, the lovers won’t like it.” He grinned at her. “You’re like the princess born again. And the knight would strike me down if he knew I let you cry alone.”

She stepped back, releasing the gate with her other hand. “The princess?”

He nodded.

Her eyes traveled down to the bouquet finally. These roses were for some other girl, not her. She looked back up to him, watching her, studying her reactions. She shoved it back into his chest and dropped it before he had a chance to take it. They both watched as it hit the ground. “I don’t want it.”

She turned around and started to walk away as his hand wrapped around her wrist, only to pull away again less than a second later. She turned around to face him. He looked… hurt. His eyes were wet, his lips soft, his cheeks into the corners of his mouth tense.

"Princess-“

"Natalia. My name is Natalia.” Her body felt tight, her stomach hard. She bit her lip to stop the tears. “I am not the princess from the legend with limitless capacity for love. I am just a human. I can love my people and myself and someone else in turn, but not all at once. I cannot continue smiling while I watch everyone I love finding a love I cannot have. I cannot-” She placed her palm to her lips, pressing them into her teeth until they hurt, but her tears stopped again. “I cannot just accept a pity gift from someone because I cannot have that love.”

"You think this is pity!“ She flinched at his volume, but returned his glare with equal fervor. "Do you really think I would insult you like that? Do you ever even open your eyes to see how anyone else feels? You’re so caught up in your lost Asch that you miss the fact that someone else might actually care for you!” He stepped over the flowers and towered over her, just an inch between their chests. “Damnit Natalia! You haven’t grown at all, have you?”

"And what about you?“ Her voice matched his in all ways. Volume, anger, hurt. "You see me just about to cry and you tell me you got me some flowers because I looked sad? How is that suppose to make anyone feel better. ‘Here, Guy, have this doll because you can’t touch real women’.”

"It’s not the same thing!“

"It is!” She slammed one of her fists onto the gate, flinching at the pain. “A false touch is the same as a false love! No matter what, it’s all false!”

He kissed her, catching her off guard and stealing her breath. She couldn’t respond. He didn’t touch her with his hands, just his lips, his tongue. He leaned into her and she fell back, almost falling to the ground. When he was gone, she felt the familiar cold grabbing at her.

His expression wasn’t angry anymore. His brows didn’t fall over his eyes, making them look sharp. They were meant to be soft, like they were now. Instead, all of his anger had been pressed into her knees, making her weak. She fell.

He knelt down beside her. “Does it feel fake now?”

She covered her mouth, still feeling the pressure, the caress. She shook her head. Her entire body felt hot.

He rested his lips above her hand until she pulled it away and he kissed her again, lightly this time. His hands rested on either side of her hips. The kiss was slow but time passed quickly and it was dark. When he pulled away she was stuck in her daze. She could barely make out the image of him picking up the flowers and placing it in her lap.

"Come to the festival with me. You may not feel love now, but you will regret it if you don’t go.“

She just wrapped her hands around the flowers as an acceptance. She did not love Guy. She probably never would. But she did love the feeling he left in her mouth, the buzz in her mind, the fog in her eyes, and the storm in her belly. And she loved love, as did he. So she took his hand in hers and kissed him again, loving love, even if love was him.


End file.
